Haze (Sam Elliott, Macmillan)

Samuel Elliott’s debut novel, Haze, introduces constable Dahlia Turner, newly returned to her coastal hometown of Broughlet – a place defined by terrible surf, an ice problem and the unsettling presence of The People’s Cleansing Light cult. While evacuating homes ahead of an approaching bushfire, Dahlia discovers that her best friend and his husband have been murdered, and their son, Jude, is missing. As the town’s most powerful businessman publicly accuses the cult of lighting the fires, simmering tensions threaten to boil over. At its centre, Dahlia anchors the novel in a way that resists easy comparison. She is complex and chaotic, both self-absorbed and selfless, carrying the weight of a past shaped by her upbringing in Cleansing Light and a series of damaging missteps made after leaving the cult. As she and her new partner, detective inspector Florence Fowler, race to save Jude and protect others in danger, they must also try to outrun Dahlia’s past. With a sequel due in 2027, Haze lays the foundations for a crime series anchored by a flawed yet compelling protagonist. Drawing on his experience as host of The Write Way podcast, Elliott demonstrates a clear understanding of the genre’s mechanics while allowing characters to drive the narrative. This depiction of a town struggling under misfortunes both natural and manufactured will appeal to fans of Chris Hammer.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Ilona Urquhart has a PhD in literary studies and currently works as a children’s and youth services librarian on the Bellarine Peninsula. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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